The present invention relates to methods of determining heat energy losses by air infiltration through electrical outlets.
An important source of heat energy loss in conventional building structures is air infiltration through gaps and cracks in walls and in construction surrounding windows and doors. It has been empirically established that approximately 20% of all air infiltration in residential buildings is attributable to losses through electrical outlets on the inside of exterior walls. Electrical outlets, including the electrical boxes in which they are disposed, comprise a gap in the insulation system of conventional buildings through which heated air is readily lost from the building and through which cold air may be admitted into the structure. In view of the large amount of heat energy lost through electrical outlets, a method of determining the extent of these losses would be very useful.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple method for determining the heat energy lost through electrical outlets in buildings.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining the cost of heat energy losses through electrical outlets, which method is easy to employ, rapid in use, low in cost, and otherwise well adapted to the purposes for which the same is intended.